Speak
by EmbraceYourFREAK
Summary: Previously titled "Taken". A year and a half. That's how long Merlin was gone. Now the knights have been lead back to their faithful friend. But things are not the same,Merlin's hiding dark secrets. Will he speak?
1. Found

**Hey everyone! So this is my Merlin re-write, I hope you like it! You won't see any of the major plot changes here, those are in chapter 2. Be nice, R&R, only constructive criticism, NO SLASH! Not really a slash fan (though I do get slashy every now and again).**

**Its still AU I guess, takes place after series 3 but no series 4 (which I am loving btw). Hope you guys enjoy it!**

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><p>Arthur, Gwaine, Lancelot, and Percival walked casually back to their small encampment, a freshly slain doe slung over Percival's shoulder. They talked jubilantly, until they were only a few yards from their destination, and Lancelot stopped them.<p>

"What-," Gwaine was stopped short when Lancelot held out his hand and shushed him.

"Look." Lancelot said in a low whisper. The other knight's followed his gaze and saw what he was looking at.

A boy was moving around their camp, digging through their satchels and saddlebags. Arthur signaled the men to draw their swords, and surround the camp. Slowly, Arthur crept up and observed the boy; upon getting a closer look he could tell the boy was not much of a threat. He was barefoot and wore black pants that went just past his knees, and they were so big on his extremely thin frame, that Arthur was surprised they didn't fall around his ankles. He wore a dirty long-sleeved shirt that could have once been white, and hung off of one shoulder; completely exposing the other. His skin was very pale, and bruised. The boy was pulling any food he found out of the bags putting some in a cloth, and stuffing some greedily into his mouth.

The most shocking feature of the boy was his hair. It was the brightest red Arthur had ever seen on a person, and long too. It was tangled and frizzy, and matted with what looked horribly like dried blood and dirt. Clumps fell into his eyes, despite the fact that he had tried to tie most of it back with-what was that? Arthur squinted, and risked a half-step closer to the boy.

"_He looks so young." _Arthur thought. He turned his attention back to what he now recognized as a blue scarf tied in the boys nasty hair.

Arthur's eyes widened in realization when he saw that scarf; it was the same scarf Merlin had been wearing the last time Arthur had seen him more than a year ago. Arthur quietly crept up behind the boy, who had his back to the prince. The other knights remained hidden, unsure of what to do; Arthur had forgotten them. The prince was shaking with excitement; Merlin had been missing for a year and a half, and now Arthur was standing two feet from something that was just a piece of his friend. Just a piece, but all the same, it was something.

The boy was so busy tearing off a bit of bread and stuffing it into his mouth that he didn't notice Arthur; until the prince placed his sword on the boy's shoulder.

"Don't. Move." Arthur said, barely able to keep the excitement out of his voice. The boy froze and dropped the bread. Arthur heard him swallow hard, and then put his hands up in surrender; shaking so violently that one would think he was having a fit.

"Get up slowly, and turn around." Arthur said. The boy complied slowly rising, and turning to face the prince. If it was possible, it appeared that the boy's face lacked even more color now; his dark green eyes were an almost impossible size. He glanced around, the other knights had finally emerged from the surrounding woods; upon the sight of them the boy began to whimper and looked as though he may soil himself. Arthur sheathed his sword, and instructed the others to do the same. He stepped even closer to the boy, who shut his eyes tightly, Arthur reached forward. He aimed for the scarf, but his hand brushed the boy's ear.

The boy lost it. He burst into loud tears, and dropped to his hands and knees; he hugged the prince's ankles.

"Please! I'm so sorry! Oh gods please don't hurt me! Please, please, I beg you!" He sobbed into the princes' boots. Arthur was taken aback, as were the others; finally Lancelot stepped forward. He crouched down and gently placed a hand on the boys back, only causing the boy to abandon Arthur's ankles and throw himself down in front of Lancelot.

"It's okay, it's okay, it-CALM DOWN!" Lancelot didn't want to shout at the boy, but couldn't think of anything else to do. The boy quieted down almost immediately. His sobs turned into sniveling, but he still took hitching breaths.

"C'mon now," Lancelot said quietly, "nobody is going to hurt you. C'mon, sit up." The boy slowly rose to his knees and looked around at them. Tears still flowed relentlessly from his eyes and his nose dripped with snot. He swiped at it with his sleeve and took a deep, rattling breath.

Arthur and the others crouched down like Lancelot, taking care to keep some distance from the boy. Arthur began to reach for the scarf again, but much more slowly, and as he did he reassured the boy.

"It's okay, I won't hurt you." The boy shook as Arthur reached for him, but stayed still. Arthur pulled Merlin's scarf from the thick mane of hair on the boys head. As he did, the true length of the boy's hair was revealed; it ended in the middle of his back. When Lancelot looked at the cloth in Arthur's hand, and suddenly it dawned on him. The other knights noticed it too and focused on the boy.

"What's your name?" Gwaine asked, trying not to show the excitement he felt. The boy mumbled something unintelligible. Then took a deep breath and tried again.

"M-Malachi." He said.

"Malachi," Arthur said as gently as he could, "where did you get this?"

Malachi looked scarred again, "I-it's not mine, b-b-but I d-d-didn't st-steal it."

"Okay, okay. I believe you." Arthur said, "Tell me where you got it."

Malachi swallowed, the tears had stopped, but his nose was still running. Arthur felt rather sorry for Malachi; he was really quite pathetic.

"M-my friend gave it to me," he said "I'm sorry I stole from you. We were so hungry. Please…" He finished. His eyes pleaded with Arthur's, but Arthur had no intention of harming this boy.

"Can you take us to your friend?" Lancelot asked. His voice shook with excitement.

"Y-yes." Malachi said, "Y-you swear you're not going to hurt us?"

"We swear." Gwaine said.

Malachi looked around, obviously still wary of the strangers. He looked so helpless, and Arthur pitied him even more.

"Please," Arthur said, "I swear we will not hurt you, or your friend."

Malachi looked at Arthur for several minutes, and then rose to his feet.

"Okay." He mumbled, and slowly turned and began leading them through the forest.

_Please. Please let it be him. _Was the thought in all the knights' heads. They walked for what felt like hours, but finally came to a well-secluded clearing. As they entered the clearing all of their hearts skipped a beat.

A man sat on the ground, a large branch in his hands. Like Malachi, he was barefoot, and extremely thin. His red shirt was dirty and tattered; his hair was long but not as long as Malachi's. It too, was matted with a horrible mixture of dirt and blood; his face was extremely dirty, and bore a grisly cut from his right ear to the corner of his mouth. His brown pants were worn and too big for him. He was pale as a ghost, and upon seeing them stood up and held the branch out defensively. His eyes were the size of dinner plates.

Arthur stepped forward, looking into those eyes. He couldn't believe it, after all this time, here he was; standing three feet from the servant he'd counted as his dearest friend.

"Merlin."

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><p><strong>There you go! A few minor re-writes, but like I said, the big ones are in chapter two. So what does that mean? You're going to have to wait! Muahahaha! I know, I'm terrible, but you love me anyway! Okay, see you soon!<strong>


	2. Going Home

**So, this is the new version of chapter two! This is where the plot gets a MAJOR re-model, so just read the whole thing you guys. Okay, that's it! **

**Enough of this! Begin!**

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><p>"Merlin." Arthur whispered. Merlin just looked at him; he didn't drop the branch or say anything, but just continued to look terrified. Malachi stepped forward, and put a hand on Merlin's shoulder.<p>

"It's alright," Malachi reassured him, "they aren't bad." He smiled, and Merlin dropped the branch. He put his hands to his sides and just stood there awkwardly. Then both he and Malachi jumped when Gwaine gave a loud bark of laughter. The knight rushed forward towards Merlin, and a look of utter terror came over his face.

Gwaine embraced Merlin in a huge bear-hug. Merlin's look of terror went away, and he seemed quite shocked. He didn't hug Gwaine back, and he didn't laugh or smile at being hugged by his friend. He looked confused, and went rigid; he kept his arms glued to his sides. Gwaine laughed again.

"Ha ha! It's been too long Merlin!" The knight let go but held on to the servant's shoulders, "You're certainly in a right state." Gwaine then lifted his hand; just to clap Merlin on the shoulder like friends did, but Merlin flinched when he saw the knight's raised hand. Gwaine's smile faded and he lowered his arm; he looked a bit worried and disappointed. Arthur turned to Malachi,

"What's happened to him?" Arthur asked, "Why doesn't he recognize us?" Malachi just looked innocently puzzled at the question. He shrugged his boney shoulders.

"I don't know," he answered, "why would he recognize you?"

Arthur then realized that Malachi had no idea who they were; Arthur chuckled lightly at this, and promptly told Malachi who he and the others were. Malachi's eyes widened as soon as Arthur mentioned Camelot, and the boy's jaw dropped when he found out Arthur was _Prince _Arthur. When Arthur finished, Malachi started to seem happy, but then put on a nervous expression. "A-are you going to arrest me for stealing?" He asked, "I-I really am sorry." He started to get onto his knees to beg again, but Arthur stopped him and looked him very sternly in the face.

"Malachi," Arthur began, "you need not to worry about coming to anymore harm. We are going to help you, and Merlin." Arthur then smiled reassuringly at Malachi, who gave a small but very genuine grin and nodded.

"So…you're Prince Arthur but, I still don't know how you know Merlin." Malachi said.

"Merlin never told you about us?" Percival asked. He looked over at Merlin, who shied away from the knight's quizzical gaze.

"Well, when he was brought to the castle where they kept us," Malachi said, "he did say that he'd been servant to a prince. But he never named names," Malachi then became stone-faced and looked down, "then again; there was never really time for idle chatter."

"What do you mean?" Gwaine asked. He'd let go of Merlin and was now looking at Malachi with interest. Malachi looked around at the group, and sighed; it seemed he had been expecting this. Merlin stayed away from the group, quietly leaning up against a tree.

"We were slaves." He said simply. He looked at the ground, then back at the group and continued, "I had already been a slave for years when they brought Merlin to the castle. They put him in a cell across from me; I thought he acted pretty stupid, I'm surprised he didn't get himself killed."

"What?" Lancelot asked.

"He wouldn't shut up," Malachi said, "He kept talking back to the guards, yelling and taunting them and all that."

The knights couldn't help but smile and chuckle at this (it seemed like the kind of thing that Merlin would do), but the serious look on Malachi's face quieted them. Malachi went on.

"So to make him be quiet they took him out of his cell, and beat him until he begged them to stop." Malachi's face was blank as he spoke. "He stayed quiet after that. He never spoke out of turn, but that didn't stop them from beating him constantly."

"Why'd they beat him if he behaved?" Gwaine said. Outraged and already swearing revenge on those who had hurt his friend.

"They found sport in it." Malachi said, and he wasn't the only one. They beat all of us. He sighed and went on. "We were sold just a week later. We went to work for some nobleman in the east; he was a hot-tempered man. Merlin often got it a lot from him; he started talking back again, and it only made it worse for him.

"Then one day, not three months after we'd been there, Merlin messed up bad." He started to wring his hands, "He talked back to the nobleman in front of his guests. The man didn't waste a second; he grabbed Merlin by the shirt and threw him back as far as he could. Merlin hit his head hard on the corner of a stone bench. It didn't look bad at first, but then blood was all around his head and everyone panicked. I ran to help him; he was my friend." Malachi's lip trembled, "He'd told me stories at night, about knights and wizards and magic creatures. They reminded me of stories my father would tell me when I was a boy." He wiped his eyes and looked at Merlin. Merlin was looking at him too; he smiled a sad sort of smile and looked away.

"What happened after that?" Arthur asked. The words felt thick when he said them; he'd wished he'd tried harder to save his friend.

"Merlin lost most of his memory. He remembered his name, and a few other things but the rest was just gone." Malachi looked away for awhile. Arthur was crushed. So Merlin didn't remember any of them? It was one worst things Arthur had imagined.

"We were sold a few days later." Malachi said, snapping Arthur from his reverie. "We were in four households including that one. Each one was worse than the last, and we finally managed to escape the last one. We've only been away two weeks." Malachi finished.

"Well, we better get going," Lancelot said abruptly, "it's almost noon and we need to get back before dark." Malachi looked sad, but also as though he was expecting this.

"So you're leaving us then." It was a statement more than it was a question.

"Of course not!" Gwaine said, he smiled at Malachi, "You're coming with us! After more than a year of worrying about Merlin and you think we'd leave him?" Gwaine beamed at Malachi, and then at Merlin. Malachi gave a wide smile and thanked Gwaine and the others. He went over and pulled Merlin into a hug, still beaming.

"We're going to Camelot! Aren't you excited?" He laughed like a child, and Merlin smiled at him; just happy to see Malachi happy.

They gathered their things at the camp and made their way out of the woods. Malachi's disposition had changed entirely; he was exuberant and filled with childish glee. He asked questions about Camelot and what it was like. The knights, in return, asked him their fair share of questions. It turned out Arthur right, Malachi was very young; only 17 years old, and had been slave since he was 10. His mother had run off with another man when he was 2, and his father had died when he was 9. The neighbors he was left with had to sell him in order to provide for their own family. He said he didn't hate them for it, because he knew they had no choice if they wanted their own children to survive.

In order to make good time they only stopped once; they found a small creek and watered the horses. There was a waterfall and Malachi ran towards it, splashing around like a boy. Merlin sat nearby him on the bank with his own feet in the water. The knight's laughed when Malachi began to wash his hair in a small waterfall. Arthur was surprised a whole new forest didn't wash from it. Twigs, leaves, dirt, and even feathers were washed into the water at his feet (Gwaine swore he saw a dead mouse too). A little less comical was the fact that the water turned red as he washed blood from his hair. Once he'd finished, he rung out the sopping wet red locks and flung them back onto his back. He walked over to the knights leaving Merlin, who had a very far-away look on his face, to continue to sit near the water.

Malachi sat down across from Arthur, and absentmindedly began playing with a lock of his wet hair. Arthur was worried; Merlin hadn't said a word since they found him. Arthur looked up at Malachi,

"Why hasn't Merlin spoken since we rescued you two?" Malachi looked at Arthur with a surprisingly passive expression.

"He never speaks," He said simply, "I know that he can, because he mutters in his sleep a lot; but he just chooses to not speak."

Arthur was puzzled. Quite frankly he was expecting muteness brought on by a horrible beating, but not this. It seemed the other knights were thinking along the same lines, they all shared a puzzled expression too. Malachi had gone back to playing with his hair. Arthur opened his mouth to inquire further, but just then Merlin walked up and sat next to Malachi; his hair was wet too.

"Well," Lancelot said, "let's forge on."

They packed up and were on the move again, and after a few hours they emerged from the woods. Camelot rose beyond the trees in the distance, faintly orange due to the setting sun. Malachi whooped and hollered his excitement; he and the other knights continued on their way.

Arthur stopped and dismounted from his steed. He stopped Merlin as well; his servant looked at him with curiosity, and it brought tears to the princes' eyes to think that Merlin didn't remember who he was. But Arthur blinked back his tears and grinned at the Merlin.

"I know you don't remember," Arthur said, "but we were friends; as much as it pains me to admit it." He looked at Merlin; who smiled, upset himself that he couldn't remember anything about him. Arthur then did something he would never tell another soul he did. He pulled Merlin into a hug, and let out a shaky breath.

"I hope you remember." Arthur said. Merlin slowly lifted his thin arms, and hugged the prince back. Arthur didn't see it, but Merlin mouthed two words:

"Me too."

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><p><strong>AWW! A tender moment! That's so sweet, they're buddies! I hope you liked the chapter, and thanks again for all the great reviews! I love you all, and I will update as soon as I can!<strong>

**Don't worry, more explanation will come! I just love you so much that I like to leave you hanging! *evil laugh***

**Oh well, until we meet again. **


	3. Home

**Hey everyone! You've all been super nice since I started my re-write! I can't thank you enough; quite frankly writing this story and seeing you guys review is the only thing that I have to look forward to. **

**My life is really messed up right now, but I won't tell you about that. Let's get on with it!**

**Away we go!**

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><p>Merlin felt apprehensive as he walked with the others. He was trying hard to remember most of the people around him; he had managed to get some fuzzy images after that man with the brown hair hugged him. The man just felt familiar, and when he'd hugged him, Merlin got a very fuzzy image of a bar fight some time ago.<p>

He remembered Gaius…sort of; certain things were just so fuzzy, and it was making him frustrated. He wanted some good memories; he quite liked this group of men, and remembering times with them seemed better than remembering being a slave. Suddenly, a rather unnerving thought occurred to him: _Do they know about my magic? _He knew that Malachi did, after all he'd told him shortly after they'd met. What about these men? They said they'd known him, had he told them? He looked around at them all, they were laughing and talking to Malachi, who seemed to be greatly enjoying their company. _I won't tell them, _he thought to himself, _not until I can be sure it's safe. _

Merlin looked up at the castle that was growing larger as they approached. He wondered what his last master was thinking, and if he'd just ignored their escape. He didn't think so, but he hoped that King Alined wouldn't think too much on it. Yet there was still a thread of doubt in the back of Merlin's mind as they entered the courtyard; Alined knew that Merlin knew something he shouldn't, and that it could ruin him if Merlin dared speak.

Arthur and the others entered the courtyard; it was getting rather late and they were among the few still outside. He looked over at Malachi; the boys' glee seemed to have mysteriously lessened once they'd entered the Lower Towns, and he'd seemed increasingly uncomfortable. He also seemed to make sure he wasn't too far away from Merlin once they'd entered the towns. Arthur thought it was a bit peculiar, but put it out of his mind when he spotted Guinevere heading towards the exit to go home. Arthur smiled and waved to her, as did some of the others; she returned the gesture and went to walk away, but stopped. She squinted at the group and broke into a wide smile and ran over to them, tears forming in her eyes. Arthur remembered that they had Merlin with them; he'd almost forgotten that they weren't coming back from a usual hunt like they used to. He smiled at the memory, and watched as Gwen made it to the group.

"Merlin!" She cried. She threw her arms around Merlin's neck, and was buried her face in his neck; he was startled at first, but Merlin hugged Gwen back. She pulled away from him; she was still smiling like mad and tears in her eyes. Merlin looked intently at her; Arthur was afraid he may not remember her, but after a few moments of what looked like serious concentration, Merlin smiled. He smiled his old smile; the smile only Merlin could smile, and Arthur couldn't help but smile too.

Merlin then hugged Gwen to him again, and she hugged back; her tears flowed freely now. They pulled away from each other again, still smiling.

"I can't believe it!" She said, and sniffled, "I thought you were dead!" She then stood on her toes and kissed Merlin's cheek. Even in the low evening light you could see Merlin's ears burn bright red; the knight's laughed at him and even Malachi giggled.

"Where've you been all this time? And what's happened to you?" She asked; noticing the cut on his face and the state of his clothes. He cast his look downward and didn't say anything. Arthur quickly jumped in; as much as he wanted an explanation they needed to get inside, and could tell that they'd treaded on thin ice.

"Why don't we go to Gaius first?" He said quickly. "Let's give these two some rest before we start asking questions." Only when indicated by Arthur, did Gwen notice Malachi; who'd been lingering behind Merlin. Gwen smiled at him and said 'Hello', and Malachi turned pink and sheepishly returned the greeting.

They made their way up the steps and the others, save for Gwen and Arthur, went their separate ways once inside; no doubt to spread the word that Merlin was safe.

The now smaller group continued to walk in silence, and soon found themselves outside the physician's door; Arthur knocked.

"Come in." They heard from inside. Gaius had been the most upset when Merlin had disappeared; after all, Merlin was like Gaius's son. The physician was standing at his work bench, some random elixir brewing before him. He looked up as they walked in, and as his eyes rested on Merlin; he broke into the first genuine smile anybody had seen in a long time. Merlin smiled as well, and walked towards the old man. Gaius rushed over and embraced him, laughing and crying at the same time.

"Merlin!" The old man said, pulling away from Merlin. "I can't believe it; you're alive!" He laughed, elated beyond comprehension. He ushered Merlin onto a bench, and invited the others to come in; he then and went over to his bench to retrieve something. Malachi quickly walked over to the bench and sat next to Merlin, looking nervous and apprehensive. He remained quiet and shifted as close to Merlin as possible.

Gaius turned back with two cloths in hand, and started only slightly when he saw Malachi sitting next to Merlin.

"Hello, and who might you be?" Gaius asked kindly.

"I'm Malachi." The boy mumbled, and Gaius smiled.

"Well, you'll need a check-up as well, so just sit tight for now." Malachi nodded and looked at the floor. Gaius then took one of the rags and dampened it; he began to wipe Merlin's face, more specifically the cut on his cheek. Merlin winced only slightly as he did, but seemed to be grateful that the cut was free of grime. Once Merlin's face was clean, he cleaned up Malachi's as well; Arthur noticed that Malachi shuttered slightly when Gaius touched him. Soon, Malachi's face was clean, and this revealed an abundance of freckles on his cheeks and nose.

There was total silence as Gaius rinsed the rags, and Arthur wondered if he shouldn't just come back in the morning; just he was about to excuse himself, Gwen broke the silence.

"Merlin," she asked gently, and he looked at her earnestly, "what happened? Will you tell us?"

Merlin just remained passive and looked back at the floor; it was Malachi who spoke up.

"I'll tell you," he said, "Merlin told me what happened." Gaius looked at him curiously, and asked,

"Why can't Merlin just tell us?" Malachi looked at him with the same passive, nonchalant look he'd given Arthur earlier.

"He won't speak. He never speaks." Gaius looked at Merlin, and Arthur did as well; he was startled by the very dark look Merlin was wearing. It was completely out of place on his usually kind face. Gaius seemed to notice it too, and looked back at Malachi.

"Alright, what happened?"

"Well," Malachi started, "he said it happened like this…"

It had been a beautiful day. Even in the midst of the events of the previous few weeks, a beautiful day had come along. It seemed to lift everybody's mood, even Uther perked up slightly. Merlin had been working for Arthur, but there was very little to do that day; Arthur had been rather busy with paperwork, and it just left Merlin standing around. Finally, Merlin just left, and headed to the stables and prepared himself a horse. He rode out of the citadel, and out of the towns; he made his way to a large field on the edge of the forest. When he reached the field e dismounted and tethered his horse to a nearby tree; he walked out into the sea of tall grass, and simply lay down. He removed his jacket and placed it under his head; he looked up to the clear endless blue sky, and simply basked in the warm sun. The warm breeze and the peace and quiet eventually caused Merlin to doze off.

He didn't know how long he'd slept for, but it didn't feel like long when he was suddenly jerked awake by someone roughly pulling him from the ground. Whoever it was punched him in the mouth when he'd pulled away; the blow knocked him back down and Merlin remembered tasting blood. He looked around; there were only two others, and Merlin opened his mouth to utter a simple incantation that would take care of them easily. But before he could utter a single word, a rag covered his mouth and the fumes from it knocked him unconscious. When he'd woken up, he was being thrown into a cell.

Arthur looked solemnly at Malachi (who had left out the part about Merlin's attempted magic), trying to hide the guilt he felt; he'd remembered that day. He'd been so busy that he didn't even notice when Merlin didn't bring him lunch; finally when all his paperwork had been finished he noticed Merlin's absence. He'd been angry, and had asked all around but nobody had seen him; finally a stable boy informed him that Merlin had ridden out and not returned. That had made Arthur worried, and he and several others rode out even though the sun was setting. They'd found his jacket, but that was it; they'd tried to track the stolen horse, but were unsuccessful. Everyone assumed the worst after seeing the blood on the ground; even if it was a small amount. Gwaine had felt like everyone had given up too easily; he tried for weeks to find Merlin, but every time he tried he hit a dead end, and he too gave up eventually. They all assumed an attempted robbery had gone badly and that Merlin was dead and buried in a shallow grave somewhere.

They'd given up hope.

But now he was safe, and Arthur and the others intended to keep it that way. Malachi sat quietly, and waited for a response.

"Do you know why he won't speak?" Gwen asked. Malachi shook his head.

"Not really. One night, when we were with our last master, Merlin was late getting back to the dungeons where we stayed. It wasn't that uncommon really, some would come back late sometimes, but it was _really _late when he finally did get back. He walked into the cell, and he looked…shocked I suppose."

"Shocked?" Gaius asked.

"Yeah," Malachi continued, "his eyes were all wide, and that was the night he got that nasty cut on his face. I asked him what was wrong, but he just shook his head, and never spoke another word. Sometimes he mumbles in his sleep," Arthur took note that a flicker of fear passed through Merlin's eyes when Malachi said this, "but I could never understand what he was saying."

"It must be the result of some traumatic event." Gaius stated. He looked at Merlin, who kept his eyes averted. After a few moments he addressed Malachi.

"Young man, I need to treat any injuries you've sustained," he said, "I'll need you to come and sit over here, and take off your shirt." Gaius indicated a stool in front of his work table.

Malachi looked very nervous and afraid all of a sudden; he gripped at his shirt as though meaning to pull it tighter around him. He shook his head.

"No. I'm fine. Thank you." He protested, and looked at the floor.

"Any wounds could become infected if not treated." Gaius said. Malachi looked at him, and shook his head harder.

"No!" He cried. Merlin wrapped an arm around the boy and pulled him close to him; he then looked up at Gaius. Arthur didn't understand Merlin's look, but Gaius must have because he started ushering Arthur and Gwen out the door.

"Out, out," he said kindly, but still with authority, "I need to work."

Arthur and Gwen soon found themselves standing outside the physician's chambers.

"What do you think happened to Merlin to make him stop speaking?" Gwen asked. Arthur turned to her; her face was calm but slightly puzzled. He shrugged his shoulders.

"I don't know, but it must have been pretty bad." Gwen looked off to the side, apparently deep in thought. Arthur looked at the closed door; he wondered what could be done to make Merlin tell them what happened. And if he did tell, what could be done about it, if anything? He certainly wanted to punish whoever was responsible; not only did they break the law, but they'd unintentionally made it very personal. Arthur could feel his anger rising as he imagined horrible things he'd do to punish the perpetrators, but then the door opened and he looked up quickly. Gaius was standing in the doorway; he looked like he'd aged several years in the minutes that had passed since he'd ushered them out.

"They're both going to be fine," Gaius said, "but they're both tired and are going to go to bed."

Arthur nodded his head and said 'Alright', and had a cot brought down and put into Merlin's chambers for Malachi to sleep on. He and Gwen bid them goodnight, and left. As Arthur got ready for bed a short while later, his thoughts turned to all the horrible things that could have happened to silence Merlin. He groaned and put his hands on his face; praying that none of what his mind had dreamed up had actually transpired.

Merlin lay on a cot in his room. He remembered this place; the smell was familiar. He looked over at Malachi, who appeared to have already fallen asleep. He looked back up at the ceiling, and tried to think of the last time he'd slept through the night. No such nights in recent memory came to mind, but now he felt his eyelids growing heavier. Soon his head lolled to the side.

And he slept.

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><p><strong>So there you have it! Sorry about the wait, this was a long chapter to rewrite. Well, I hope you enjoyed it! Please read, review, and tell your friends!<strong>


	4. Demons

**I think I'm too good to you guys. I mean TWO new chapters in one morning? When I have an English assignment? **

**Naw! I'm just kidding! I don't mind taking some time to write.**

**I won't keep you waiting, here we go!**

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><p>Malachi lay on his cot in a restless sleep. A memory, a nightmare, played in his head.<p>

"_You're such a good little boy."_

Malachi turned onto his side and whimpered.

"_Don't scream. I'll kill you and your friend if you do."_

Tears leaked out of his eyes; he rolled onto his other side.

"_Please…it hurts…" Malachi whimpered. He squirmed under the man that he was forced to call master, but it was useless; the man had pinned the boys' arms down. The man ignored him, and proceeded to violate the boy; a sick, wicked grin on his face. _

_Malachi cried harder._

"_Please…please stop, please!" Malachi cried harder, but the man didn't stop. The bed rocked with the movement, and Malachi squeezed his eyes shut. He tried to imagine being anywhere else, but the pain and shame kept him from doing so._

_When the man was done, he had Malachi taken back to his cell. Malachi stumbled to the farthest corner of the cell; he couldn't sit, it hurt too much. He lay on his side, and brought his knees up to his chest._

_He cried. _

Malachi's eyes snapped open. He was still lying on his cot, but had tangled himself in his covers, and was drenched in sweat. He sniffled a bit, and wiped dry tears off of his cheeks; he sat up and looked over at Merlin. He was sound asleep, so still that Malachi felt a twinge of fear; he looked dead. However his chest was rising and falling with each slow breath. Malachi relaxed and shook his head; he got up quietly and shuffled over to the window on the far side of the room. He stepped quietly up on a desk and looked out at the night sky. He sighed up at the stars, and rested his head on his arms.

Malachi couldn't remember the first time it'd happened, though he knew it was sometime after he'd been sold to those slave traders. He'd been told by an older slave that he would 'Get used to it'; he never did. It never hurt any less, and it never felt less degrading; he supposed you never 'got used to it'. He did, however, learn to accept it; he even began to _expect _it to happen. Sometimes it didn't happen; every now and then he had a master who was kind. Well, in the sense that he didn't rape young boys; beatings were regulation for slaves he supposed.

One night, at their third master's home, Malachi came back to find Merlin awake; He was usually asleep by the time Malachi had returned. A confused but concerned look on his face; 'What happened?' he'd asked. He didn't want Merlin to know, he didn't want anybody to know. He'd tried to act normal, and go sit next to Merlin, but he couldn't; it hurt so much for him to sit, but he'd done it anyway. However the pain, along with the shame he felt, became too much and he'd started to cry; he'd keeled over onto his side, sobbing. Then Merlin had done something unexpected; he'd taken Malachi into his arms, and he'd held him. He stroked the boys' hair and reassured him, _'It's okay, I'm right here. I'll keep you safe'._

Merlin stopped sleeping after that. He stayed awake and kept the guards who took him to the man's chambers away; this had resulted in more beatings and torture for Merlin, but he still did it. And the abuse stopped; Malachi was eternally grateful to Merlin for making it stop. The day they'd left that place, sold to another man, he'd looked at Merlin and asked:

"You'll always be there for me, won't you?" Merlin had smiled at him, and placed a hand on his shoulder, "Always." He'd answered. Malachi had smiled back at him. "And I'll always be there for you." He'd said, and hugged Merlin.

Now he climbed down from the window, and pushed his cot (as quietly as he could) as close to Merlin's bed as he could. Soon it was mere inches from being connected to the other bed. Malachi lay back down and pulled his covers around him, and rolled to face Merlin; he was fast asleep. _He deserves some sleep, _Malachi thought, and reached out and gently took Merlin's left hand. He gently squeezed it, and before he drifted off to a more peaceful sleep himself, he swore he felt a squeeze back.

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><p>As Merlin and Malachi lay in peaceful slumber; Lancelot lay awake on his bed. He couldn't sleep; there was too much to think about. Yes, he was glad Merlin was safe and the boy too, but what now? They couldn't just put this to bed could they? He turned onto his side and stared at the wall.<p>

_If I truly know Arthur, _he though, _there's no way he'll just let this go. _He sighed. He himself, quite frankly, didn't want to just let this go. He wanted justice just as much as the others; Gwaine had been very vocal about getting justice. He wondered what had happened to Merlin; Gwen had told him what Malachi said, and it puzzled Lancelot. He'd never heard of someone being shocked or scared into silence, but Gwaine said he had when Lancelot had explained it to the others. He said he'd known a man who had watched bandits beat a woman and her child to death; he was silenced by the horror of the incident, and the guilt for not doing anything. Lancelot wondered if something like that happened to Merlin; had he seen someone die horrifically. Did something terrible happen to him? Lancelot didn't want to think of the awful things that could have been done to Merlin to silence him. It was with that thought that Lancelot's thoughts turned to Malachi.

He had noticed that Malachi had started to act strange when they'd entered the Lower Towns yesterday. He was so talkative and lively when leaving the forest, and all but shut down once they'd gotten into the Towns; he'd also not left Merlin's side. Lancelot had found this strange, and at first he'd figured the boy was just nervous, but as he'd watched Malachi he knew it was more than that.

While they were in the Lower Towns; Lancelot noticed that, whenever a man passed Malachi in the road, they boy had grown visibly tense, and got closer to Merlin. Malachi had done this several times, but only when it was a man. At first, Lancelot didn't understand, but then a horrible, dawning realization had hit him.

Had the boy been abused? It seemed that way; what with the way he'd reacted to being approached by the nights, and Lancelot _had_ heard of such horrible things happening.

He didn't want to think it, but it just wouldn't go away. He sighed, and turned back onto his back. He supposed he could confront the boy, but who knew what that would do to him? Perhaps he would wait, and gain the boy's trust some more. Yes, that was what he'd do; let Malachi know that he was a friend. That they all were his friends and no man would ever hurt him again.

His mind made up, Lancelot was able to finally get to sleep. It was all going to work out; everything was okay now.

He hoped.

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><p><strong>Yes, still a very short chapter, but a little bit more depth in there than before. I know that Merlin is very OOC right now, but c'mon, do you expect people to stay the same after a traumatic event? Don't worry, we'll get some bamf!Merlin soon, and maybe some drama, action, and plot twists'! <strong>

**I don't know if this will turn into reveal or not, I'll have to give that some serious thought.**

**Anyway, please keep reading, and I'll keep writing!**

**P.S. I need to clean my room. Anybody want to send some magic fairies to do it for me?**


	5. Important Note

**Hey guys. This isn't a new chapter, but I just felt like venting I guess. I don't know about any of you guys, but yesterday was Tuesday for me; Glee was on. I love that show, I didn't start watching it until the second season, but I've now seen all of them.**

**So, if you didn't see the most recent episode of Glee; skip this paragraph because there will be SPOILERS. So, character David Karofsky left McKinley high and went to a new school; I believe he was expelled for harassing character Kurt Hummel, because he was gay. But here's the kicker: Karofsky is in the closet, and doesn't know how to deal with it. Kurt (and his boyfriend Blaine) are the only two who know. Well basically Kurt leaves the school because of the harassment, but comes back later-on, and Karofsky eventually leaves the school. Sorry if that's confusing. Eventually, it is revealed that Karofsky has a crush on Kurt, but Kurt doesn't feel that way about Karofsky (likely to do with the fact that Karofsky made Kurt's life hell). The two are overheard by somebody from Karofsky's school, and naturally, the secret is out. Karofsky is outed and ridiculed; he can't take it, and in this most recent episode he attempted suicide.**

**Now, I don't really approve of suicide okay; I'm not going to lie. Yes, it can be very selfish. Yet, what I find reprehensible is the fact somebody was **_**pushed **_**to kill themselves. They were made to feel so incredibly low, and so alone, that they were convinced that they had **_**nobody. **_**That is what I find worse than suicide. I almost can say that suicide is technically murder; whoever out their made that person hate themselves and the world so much, they are a murderer. Life is precious, and being pushed to the point where you believe that your life is not worth anything, is awful.**

**Pretty much where I'm going with this is: I just can't understand hate. I understand very well that people have differing ideologies, religious views, and morals; but that doesn't warrant hate! Personally, I have no problem with homosexuality, and I'm still a Christian, and I know what the bible says. But I am not God, nor am I Jesus. Therefore, it is not my job or my duty to pass judgment on ANY person, gay or straight, black or white, Muslim or Baptist, etc. I don't think people realize that their hate is the problem, not the person they hate on. **

**Some people think that the world is cursed to damnation because of our apparent tolerance of things like homosexuality, and our acceptance of other religions. I disagree. If the world really is damned, then it's because we've neglected one of the greatest things we have in this world: LOVE. **

**I'm not asking for world peace. World peace is something that, right now, is a mere dream. What I want people to be able to do, is just **_**accept **_**each other! You can hate all you want, and stuff your morals and beliefs down everyone's throats all you want. You can protest, you can scream and yell until you're blue in the face! But the human race will still be diverse when you're done, there is nothing you can do about it; you don't have to love everybody, but you may just have to suck it up and **_**accept. **_**Please, just learn to accept.**

**Finally, if you've ever called somebody a name, hurt somebody, or anything in between; stop and apologize. Don't become a murderer, don't be a nail in their coffin. And if you are bullied, SPEAK OUT! There are people that will help and **_**want **_**to help! We can all work to make the next generation come into a world worth living in.**

**Thank you, if you read this and understand, if you agree or disagree, thank you for your time.**

_**-EmbraceYourFREAK **_


	6. What could go wrong?

**Yep, my sorry ass is back! Teehee! **

**Naw, sorry about the wait guys, but it's like Stephen King said: **

"_**If you liked being a teenager, there's something seriously wrong with you."**_

**Whatever, things are looking up; don't ever take advantage of good friends!**

**I KNOW I KNOW! It has been awhile, but here is a **_**real **_**chapter! Don't hate me for the wait!**

**Onward!**

Merlin slowly opened his eyes. Though still rather foggy his brain simply refused to relax and go back to sleep. The room slowly came into focus, and Merlin noticed that a blanket had been used to cover the window; he could see bright sunlight shining through a hole in the fabric.

_It must be later in the day, _he thought. He lifted his arm to rub his eyes, and noticed that his hand was wrapped around Malachi's. He looked at the boys' face, and smiled softly; Malachi was the little brother he'd never had. Merlin gently let go of the gingers' hand and made to sit up, but as soon as he regretted it. He hissed as white-hot pain seared across just about every part of his upper-body. Suddenly tears of physical and emotional pain stung his eyes, and his mind played memories he'd rather forget.

_He was strung up by the wrists' without a shirt, he could feel the cold wind biting at his skin; though it brought some relief to the poorly-healed wounds on his back and shoulders. Suddenly there was the loud CRACK of a whip, and tears spilled out of Merlin's eyes; a cry of agony ripped his throat apart._

_Pain…so much pain…_

Merlin lay back down and slowly pulled the corner of his sheet up to wipe away the few tears that had escaped his eyes. He took several deep breaths and waited until the pain became a dull throbbing. Finally he though; _I can't stay in bed forever_. Slowly, he rolled onto his right side; pain came, but he took another deep breath and waited for it to pass. When it did, he swung his legs over the side of the bed, and pushed himself into a sitting position. He felt his scars light up again, but this time it was less severe. He sat for a while; if there was anything he'd gained from a solid year of torture and slave labor, it was a higher pain tolerance and a "This is nothing" attitude.

Finally he stood up, and his legs screamed at him, but he pushed past it. He took a few steps, he was limping rather heavily, but the pain soon became bearable. He walked to the door and made to go into the main room, but stopped when he heard voices on the other side. He knew he shouldn't eavesdrop, the act had once resulted in a beating with a hot poker, but his curiosity got the better of him. Plus, he didn't believe that anybody here would hurt him. He gently pressed his ear to the door and listened.

Arthur made his way slowly to Gaius' chambers. It was nearing midday, and he had some time before training with the knights; Merlin's return had changed them all for the better. Arthur remembered when Merlin had first gone missing; all the knights had trained with an angry and frustrated determination. The practice dummy had never taken such a fierce beating; not only from Arthur, but from the other knights as well. Then as time passed, everyone fell into a kind of mundane training ritual; come, train, leave. It was awful, but now that Merlin was safe, Arthur hoped everyone would resume training with the appropriate determination and vigor.

Arthur hadn't seen Merlin since the night before; he was hoping that Merlin had managed to sleep well, Malachi too. Arthur liked Malachi; the boy was kind, but Arthur could tell he was damaged. He hoped that both boys could regain their confidence and that, with time, things would be good again.

Arthur was so deep in thought that he wasn't aware he'd come to the physician's door and had been standing there for a few minutes. He shook his head and knocked on the door.

"Come in." He heard Gaius say from inside. Arthur pushed open the door and stepped into the physician's familiar chambers. Gaius was bent over a table, examining a very large and dusty book. He looked up and smiled at the prince; Gaius' mood had lifted exponentially since the return of his ward. Arthur smiled back.

"Good afternoon Gaius," he said, "how are you?"

"Very good sire." Gaius answered as he stood up, "What can I do for you?"

"Well…I was wondering how Merlin was doing?" Arthur was hoping for good news. He hadn't been there when Merlin was examined, but if the look on Gaius' face after he had looked over Merlin was anything to go on; it was bad.

Gaius sighed, "Physically his injuries are extensive and a few are infected but, in time he should make a full recovery; as for his mental state…" Gaius trailed off sadly. Arthur looked up at the small door that led to Merlin's room; Merlin had seemed somewhat okay on their way back to Camelot. Then he thought of Merlin flinching away from Gwaine's hand the other day, and the look of terror on his face when the knights had first found him.

Arthur sighed, "What about his memory? Will that return?" That was what Arthur worried about the most; that his friends' memory would take a long time to return, or that it wouldn't at all. However, Gaius's expression lightened a bit at this.

"I think his memory will return soon," He said, "he's already recognized me and Gwen. These are very good signs sire; time should heal that as well." Gaius finished. Arthur felt better after Gaius said that.

"Has he woken up yet?" Arthur asked. Just as Gaius was about to answer, the door at the top of the stairs opened, and Merlin stepped down into the main room. Arthur noticed that he was limping rather heavily, but was glad to see him awake. Arthur smiled, Merlin looked more like himself now that his face was clean, but the scar on his face still stood out. Merlin just looked awkwardly between Gaius and Arthur, and Gaius was the first one to break the silence.

"Are you feeling alright?" He asked. Merlin simply nodded; Arthur then remembered that Merlin coul-_wouldn't_ speak. Despite the initial seriousness of the situation, Arthur was rather peeved and curious. Why wouldn't Merlin speak? Did he not feel safe? Gwaine had said something last night about a traumatic experience; was that it? Arthur didn't know, but he hoped that Merlin would soon feel safe enough to tell them what happened. Arthur looked back at Merlin, who just shuffled awkwardly.

"Well, I need to be getting to training." Arthur said. He nodded to Gaius, and then gave Merlin what he hoped was an encouraging smile. As he turned to leave, he heard footsteps behind him; he turned and saw Merlin stop behind him. Why was he following him? Merlin looked at Arthur hopefully, and then it hit Arthur.

"You want to come with me to training?" He asked. Merlin nodded his head; Arthur looked at Gaius. "Is it alright for him to go?" Gaius thought for a moment before answering.

"I think it would be alright, but he shouldn't be without you or one of the other knights just in case." Merlin smiled at Arthur, who said 'fine', and then waited as Merlin went to get dressed.

What could possibly go wrong?

**I know! REALLY short chapter, but this is what I have for you now. I already have some ideas sifting around for the next chapter, but I still want to hear what you guys have to say! **

**Nothing like a clichéd cliffhanger like that one! 'What could possible go wrong?' Oh just imagine the things us FanFiction writers could come up with! **

**Well, that's all for now. Sorry again about the wait; don't blame me, blame research papers! Okay, I'll see you guys soon.**

'**Bye!**


	7. Training

**Well, here we are again, same place that we've always been. **

**I know you just loved that little cliffhanger I left you with last chapter! So, in this chapter we'll hopefully see some of that bamf!Merlin I promised!**

**WARNING! THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS GRAPHIC IMAGERY, AND STRONG LANGUAGE!**

**So, with that, I'll let you get right to it!**

* * *

><p>Merlin was excited. He was eager to see the men from yesterday, he liked them a lot; it was that fact that made him even more upset that he had apparently known them well. He'd regained some memories last night in his sleep. His favorite was a memory of an older man who had suddenly gone bald, and of the man Arthur with donkey ears. He couldn't stop the small chuckle that just barely made it past his lips.<p>

"What's so funny?" Merlin turned to find Malachi sitting up, and looking at him sleepily. Merlin tapped his head, and continued to get dressed.

"You were remembering something?" Merlin nodded, "That's good!" Malachi exclaimed. The boy then noticed that Merlin was almost dressed (it was taking some time because of the wounds), and looked at Merlin sadly.

"Where are you going?" Malachi asked, Merlin simply pointed to the bedroom door; Malachi seemed confused for a moment, but finally seemed to put it together on his own.

"With…Arthur?" He asked, and Merlin nodded again. He looked around for some shoes, and eventually found a dusty pair of brown boots; they looked incredibly similar to the pair one of his masters had taken from him. He grimaced, remembering that he'd had to work in the muck and grime of the fields at that man's home.

Merlin was jerked from his thoughts when Malachi asked if he could come too. Merlin thought about it. He was a little worried; Malachi had some, well…problems. He was very sensitive, but he'd be with the men from yesterday. They were certainly kind, and wouldn't hurt him (it was also very difficult to refuse Malachi when he put on his sad puppy face) finally, Merlin nodded and Malachi jumped up immediately. He only winced slightly at the pain; he was far more tolerant of it than Merlin. Soon, Malachi was dressed in one of Merlin's old shirts and a clean pair of pants; he didn't have any shoes, but insisted that he was fine. They both went back to the main room, and were soon following a waiting Arthur to the training field.

Arthur was surprisingly _not _surprised when Malachi stepped into the main room alongside Merlin. He could tell how close they were, and that Malachi looked to Merlin for protection. They walked casually through the castle, Malachi looked on in awe of everything, and Merlin had a very far-away look on his face. Many servants said hello and were excited and joyful to see Merlin back; it showed just how much Merlin meant to others. Merlin would mostly just smile and wave when somebody said hello; a few times his face lit up and he actually seemed to recognize someone. Malachi was a little more reluctant to say hello and introduce himself; it reminded Arthur of watching a young child. Malachi would stay close to Merlin and offer a very shy "hello" and stare at his feet, and then sometimes he just wouldn't speak at all but just smile sheepishly; he was very reserved.

Only slightly delayed by the many greetings, the trio were finally on the training field, and being delayed further by the unofficial Round Table (and several other knights) wanting to just say hello to Merlin.

"Alright!" Arthur shouted after about five minutes, "Let's get started because the sooner we start, the sooner we finish!"

With that the knights left the two boys and proceeded to begin training. Merlin and Malachi sat on the edge of the field just watching; the sound of steel clashing with steel and Arthur barking orders brought memories back to Merlin. A good many of them had to do with him being the target, but more for fun than to purposefully hurt him. Malachi was enjoying watching the knight's spar with each other, and Merlin was too. It felt good to feel as though he was reminiscing; he hoped that Alined had forgotten them so that he could stay here.

The knights took a break after about an hour of training; the unofficial round table came and sat with Merlin and Malachi. Merlin recognized Elyan slightly, but not fully, and he didn't recall Leon at all; however, after just a few minutes talking with them, he instantly liked them. Gwaine was continuously cracking dirty jokes and Merlin would shake with silent laughter, and Malachi's face turned red (which clashed horribly with his red hair). The knights shared stories with the two boys, and Merlin could feel his memories coming back; it was like hearing a story for the first time since you were a child. You would start to remember it as it was read to you. As Merlin sat with his old friends (it felt wonderful to call them that), he just barely noticed another knight, who looked slightly older, staring at them. Merlin didn't really think anything of it, but the grin on his face was very unsettling, and he found himself growing weary.

Soon he forgot about the strange older knight, because Arthur called them back to training, and Merlin and Malachi resumed watching the knight's spar.

* * *

><p>Arthur was happy to see the knight's sitting and talking with Merlin and Malachi; it almost felt like normal again, and Merlin had never disappeared. He smiled and continued talking to Sir Frederick about his technique; after he had finished taking with Frederick, he turned to call the men back to training, when he noticed something rather odd. Sir Edward, a middle-aged knight whom would be retiring in a few years, seemed to be eyeing Merlin's group; he was wearing a very peculiar grin on his face.<p>

Arthur was instantly unsettled and worried, but he didn't exactly know _why_; sure he'd never particularly cared for Sir Edward. Arthur thought he just looked suspicious, and he was just plain unsettling. Arthur decided now was as good a time as any to re-start training.

"Alright, let's move!" Arthur shouted. The knights resumed their positions and started training again; Arthur felt better now that Sir Edward was back to concentrating on training, but the man kept looking back towards Merlin and Malachi. Arthur didn't know what to make of it.

After another tiring hour of training, Arthur called it a day. The sun was at full height and he was afraid one of the knights might collapse from the heat. They began putting weapons and such away, and many were removing their armor and dumping the contents of their water skins over their heads. Everything seemed to be fine, and Arthur turned to see Merlin standing and…looking for something? Merlin was limping around and turning in every direction looking slightly frantic; Arthur was puzzled, and then he noticed it. Where had Malachi gone? Arthur looked around too, and noticed something else that made him nervous. Where had Sir Edward gone?

* * *

><p>Malachi was really enjoying watching the knights fight, even if it wasn't serious; his father had always told him stories about knights and princes. Malachi had memorized them, and then when his father had gotten sick, he'd told his father the stories. He looked at Merlin, who was just as enthralled as Malachi was, if not more so. Malachi imagined it was because it brought memories back for Merlin. He turned back to the sparring, which he could see was beginning to cease, due to the intense heat.<p>

"You enjoy watching the training?" a deep voice asked. Malachi turned his head and squinted up into the face of one of the older knights. He smiled.

"Yes sir," he answered, "I love watching the knights spar. I wish I could be a knight." He smiled bigger, and the older knight smiled back at him.

"I'm Sir Edward," he said, "would you like me to teach you a few maneuvers?"

Malachi beamed at the man and stood up, the knight was much taller than he was. He nodded,

"I'm Malachi, and yes I would be so grateful sir!" He said. Sir Edward smiled at the boy, but Malachi was so excited he didn't notice how unfriendly the smile was.

"Wonderful," Sir Edward said, "Come with me, and we'll get you a practice sword."

Sir Edward turned and beckoned Malachi to follow. The boy looked back at Merlin, who was still watching the other knights. Should he tell him where he was going? Malachi looked back towards Sir Edward, and decided against telling Merlin; he'd be fine, this was a knight of Camelot. He'd never hurt him.

Malachi followed Sir Edward, and headed away from the training grounds; they rounded a corner outside the courtyard wall, and were soon completely out of sight. Malachi was beginning to wonder if Sir Edward knew where he was going, when all of a sudden he was grabbed by his hair and thrust up against the stone wall. Malachi opened his mouth to cry out in pain, but felt a hand close over his mouth and press painfully against his face. He found himself looking into the dark eyes of Sir Edward, who had a sick, leering grin on his face. Malachi felt tears leak from his eyes; he'd been in this situation enough times to know where it was going, but it was almost worse than every other time it had happened. Nobody here was supposed to hurt him, Arthur had promised him; Malachi knew Arthur didn't have anything to do with it, but it hurt none the less.

Sir Edward didn't say a word to Malachi, and kept his hold on the boy's mouth with his left hand, and used his right to…well. Malachi cried harder against Sir Edward's hand, and pleaded with his eyes for the older man to let him go; but Sir Edward didn't stop, he only smacked Malachi for making more noise.

"Shut up you little bitch." He hissed though his teeth. Malachi clamped his mouth shut and tried to stifle his cries. He whispered so low that Sir Edward almost didn't hear him.

"Please…just let me go please…" Sir Edward smacked Malachi again, and used his left hand to pin Malachi's arms above his head, and continued using his right to touch Malachi everywhere. When Malachi felt Sir Edward begin to push him to his knees, he had a sudden burst of bravery; he was tired of this.

Malachi screamed.

* * *

><p>Merlin stood on the edge of the training field, confused; just a minute ago Malachi had been right next to him. Now he was nowhere to be seen; he noticed the knight's had finished training, but Malachi wasn't with them. Just as he was starting to panic, he heard screaming. Then, Merlin got angry.<p>

* * *

><p>Arthur didn't know how long after training had ended he'd noticed Malachi's absence, but he stopped wondering when he heard the screaming. He and most of the knights in training (including the round table) went running towards the source of the screaming; as soon as they rounded the corner outside the courtyard a sight met them that filled all of them with rage.<p>

Sir Edward was trying, and somewhat failing, to hold down a struggling Malachi. Sir Edward was visibly angry, and grabbing the boy in all the wrong ways; Arthur was fuming, as were most of the others. Just as he was about to spring into action, and likely bring several other knights with him, something darted past Arthur. All he saw was a flash of dark hair and a blue shirt, and suddenly Sir Edward was on the ground.

He was being punched. In the face. And attempting to fight off…_Merlin? _

Arthur was dumbfounded, even under the circumstances; Merlin would _never _attack anyone; let alone a much older and more skilled knight. Merlin wasn't fighting with any skill; he was simply punching any part of Sir Edward he could get to, and also scratching and even _biting _him. Sir Edward was doing rather well in the fight, but was obviously stunned by Merlin's strength and vigor.

Arthur shook himself from his thoughts and ran over to the pair; Lancelot, Leon, and Elyan ran to Malachi, who had curled into a ball on the ground. Arthur, along with Gwaine and Percival, began attempting to pry Merlin off of Sir Edward; after many failed attempts, Percival stepped forward and lifted Merlin up off of Sir Edward. The larger knights pinned Merlin's arms to his side with his bear-like arms. Merlin was still fighting admirably, but Percival managed to hold onto the servant.

Arthur looked at Sir Edward with as much hate and disgust as possible; Gwaine and a knight named Sir Tomas held Sir Edward's hands behind his back. Arthur glared daggers at the man, and Gwaine looked like he was ready to strangle Sir Edward with his bare hands. Sir Edward was scared.

"P-please my lord," Sir Edward pleaded, "I-It was not what it seemed." Arthur noticed that Merlin struggled harder when Sir Edward said that.

"Sir Edward," Arthur said, his voice dripping with authority and malice, "you are under arrest for attempted rape." Sir Edward's face fell and suddenly he was angry and screaming at Malachi, whom Lancelot and the others were attempting to calm down.

"YOU WORTHLESS WHORE!" Spit flew from Sir Edward's lips as he shrieked. "YOU STUPID, WORTHLESS BITCH!"

Gwaine silenced Sir Edward with a blow to the face that looked like it hurt. Arthur was fuming and said, in a tone that had many of the knights afraid for their _own _lives:

"Take him, to the dungeons, _now._" Gwaine and Sir Tomas didn't have to be told twice, they were soon carting Sir Edward away. Arthur turned, and was met by the sight of Merlin crouched in front of a sobbing Malachi. Arthur's anger was instantly wiped away, and replaced with sadness and guilt. He'd promised the two of them that he'd protect them; now look what had happened. Arthur approached Malachi, but stopped when the boy cried harder and threw himself against Merlin's chest. Merlin held Malachi, and Arthur backed away, and over to the round table; they had also distanced themselves from the pair.

They didn't say anything to each other, but shared solemn looks with each other.

"What are we going to do?" Leon asked.

Arthur didn't have an answer for that.

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><p><strong>Whew! Finally finished this chapter, which was <strong>_**amazing **_**to write I might say! I hope you liked the bamf!Merlin; I know I did! **

**I just really hope you loved it! Sorry I'm so irregular with my updates, but I'll try the best I can.**

**PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE REVIEW! I don't even care if it's just one sentence or even one word!**

**Okay, love you ALL! Until next time! **


	8. Trials

**Fifty reviews you guys; **_**fifty reviews**_** this story has gotten. **

**In all seriousness, this fact means the world to me. As messed up as my head has been lately, you guys reviewing has made me feel incredibly good; in general and just good about myself. **

**Okay, no more seriousness; well, sort of. A few of you have expressed some discomfort regarding the whole "abuse" aspects of this story, so I have a few important points.**

**Something I think might have had people a bit confused: Malachi was NOT raped last chapter. He was only assaulted.**

**I know that some descriptions have been intense and graphic, but as far as that aspect of the plot goes, I simply can't take that out. It's a very important aspect of the story, and the character. **

**I **_**can **_**assure you that I have no plan to go into graphic detail! Please, please, **_**please, **_**don't let those things turn you from this story!**

**Lastly, sorry for the long Author's Note!**

**Okay! That's all, let's get started!**

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><p>After the ordeal on the training field, Merlin took a slightly less hysterical Malachi back to Gaius' chambers; the poor boy wouldn't let anybody else come within three feet of him. In the meantime Arthur dismissed the other knights and made to head for his chambers, but was stopped just a few steps from the peace of his chambers. The servant who stopped him bowed deeply.<p>

"Sire, the king has requested your presence right away."

Arthur sighed, and rubbed his eyes, he had an idea about what his father wanted to see him about.

"Alright. Thank you, I'll head there now." With that, the servant bowed again and scurried off; Arthur headed to the council chambers. Honestly, he felt drained for some reason and just wanted to melt into his bed. When he came to the large oak doors he took a deep breath and pushed them open.

He was not so surprised to see the Round Table, and several other knights, as well; Gwaine and Tomas were not still restraining Sir Edward. Gwaine was however watching the man like a hawk, and looking like he very much wanted to throttle Sir Edward. Strangely enough though, was that Sir Edward looked…smug. Then, Arthur saw why, and _then _he was surprised.

Merlin. _Merlin _was standing before the king, and _Merlin _was being restrained by two guards. Arthur looked from his father, to his friend, to Sir Edward.

"Father," he started slowly, "what is it you wanted to see me about?"

It was no secret that Uther Pendragon had been through a very tough ordeal and, while some thought he deserved it, even his enemies felt some pity for the man. Arthur thought that he'd been doing much better lately, and he did look put together; Arthur didn't have time to dwell on this though.

"It has come to my attention," Uther began, "that this boy" he indicated Merlin, "assaulted Sir Edward."

Uther looked furious, but Arthur was positively aghast; Sir Edward was accusing _Merlin? _Arthur looked to the other knights, all of whom seemed to be just as appalled as he was.

"Father, I can assure you that Merlin attacking Sir Edward-"

"So it is true then." Uther turned his steely gaze onto Merlin, who stared determinedly at the floor.

"How _dare _you assault a knight of Camelot!" Uther nearly shouted, "I ought to have you drawn and quartered for this!"

"Father!" Arthur shouted, completely enraged, "Father the one at fault here is Sir Edward! He was seen _assaulting _a _child._"

"This is an unfounded accusation and is completely untrue!" Sir Edward shouted, and still wearing a smug smile on his worthless face. Arthur looked him, furious, but then his attention was drawn away when there came a small mumbling sound from his left.

The room turned its eyes onto Merlin, who was still staring at the floor; Uther looked at the boy slightly confused, slightly angry.

"What was that, _boy?_" Uther asked.

Arthur was suddenly filled with excitement; Merlin had _spoken. _Merlin lifted his head, and turned his attention onto Sir Edward; the glare that Merlin gave him caused the entire room to shutter. Arthur had never seen Merlin so livid, he thought that the flesh was ready to melt off of Merlin's face; Merlin spoke again, but this time it was just shy of a shout.

"I _said,_" Arthur was floored; Merlin's tone practically turned them all to ice. His voice was rather hoarse from lack of use, but still held power like one wouldn't believe. He continued, "that you are a worthless _liar." _

Arthur was amazed, not only had Merlin spoken, but he had spoken like a complete badass. Sir Edward however was now only even angrier.

"See how this boy speaks to me!" He said incredulously, "He must be punished sire!"

Arthur shook his head to clear his thoughts and focused on the situation at hand. He turned to his father.

"Father, this man," he indicated Sir Edward, "was _seen _by my knight's and myself attempting to rape a 17 year old boy."

Uther turned his eyes on Sir Edward, whose face was now void of all color, he looked at the man; disgust evident on his face.

"My Lord," Sir Edward said, clearly afraid, "this is entirely untrue-"

He wasn't able to finish, because it was then that all the knights present began shouting at the same that Edward was lying.

"SILENCE!" Uther shouted. He was clearly losing his patience; he rubbed a hand on his face, and turned back to the knights.

"Sir Leon," he said, and Sir Leon stepped forward, "did you witness Sir Edward attempting to rape a young boy?" Leon didn't waste a second.

"Yes I did sire."

Sir Edward's face, if it was possible, lost even more color; he began stammering desperately. Uther silenced him with a terrible glare.

"Sir Edward, you are a disgrace to Camelot." He said. Edward looked as though he would faint; Arthur was fighting back a victory smirk.

"You are not only stripped of your knighthood, but you will be imprisoned and publically flogged."

Sir Edward was still, and didn't say anything as Uther ordered the guards that were once holding Merlin to take the former knight away. Uther then turned to Merlin, and Arthur was on the defensive once again.

"Due to the circumstances," Uther began, much calmer now, "you are not charged with anything, but I should tell you to make sure you control your impulses."

Merlin regarded Uther respectfully, his face void of any emotion.

"Thank you sire." Merlin said. His voice, now calm and relatively normal, was even hoarser. Uther dismissed them and with a bow Merlin turned and practically ran out of the hall.

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><p>Merlin didn't necessarily <em>want <em>to attack Sir Edward, but he made him so angry; Merlin had to _protect _Malachi. Merlin felt awful. He barely had gotten Malachi to Gaius before the guards came and took him to the great hall. He needed to stay with Malachi, he had to stay with him, and comfort him.

Merlin didn't want to yell at Sir Edward either; mostly because he knew how dangerous it was for him to just open his mouth. After all, he'd _elected _not to speak; it may sound silly to some, but every time he tried to speak he felt like he would slip up. Every time he went to say anything, it was as if his magic would suddenly start to thrash inside him, and nearly cause him to just burst.

He remembered the day after they'd escaped, and Malachi had grown frustrated with him because he wouldn't talk. All he'd managed to say to Malachi was 'I cannot' over and over again; it was times like those that Malachi got almost uncharacteristically angry. He didn't like not having any answers. Merlin certainly hadn't _meant _to shout at him, but he couldn't stop himself. His magic was thrashing around like angry wind during a storm, and when Malachi yelled at Merlin to tell him the truth Merlin had lost it.

"_NO!" Merlin shouted, he clapped his hands over his ears, "NO I CANNOT, I CANNOT!" _

_Suddenly tree limbs on the large oaks surrounding them snapped, and smaller Dogwood trees broke clean in half. Malachi was suddenly cowering on the ground as leaves began to swirl and twigs flew around them, but it was over as soon as it started. Merlin still had his hands over his ears, and was now on his knees; tears streaming down his face. He was still whispering._

"_I cannot, I cannot…" Every time he thought about what happened he could feel King Alined beating him again, cutting his face again, grabbing his face painfully and hissing:_

"_If you speak about what you saw boy," he'd said, and Merlin had never been more afraid, "I swear no matter where you are. I will find you, I will make you wish you were never born, and _then _I will kill you."_

Merlin never spoke again after what happened in the woods; it was too risky! Yet he had spoken today hadn't he, and the windows hadn't shattered; he hadn't revealed anything either. Maybe, since he was miles away and Alined seemed to have (please Gods), forgotten about him and Malachi.

Maybe, even with all his still-present doubt, Merlin really was safe enough to speak again.

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><p>While Merlin contemplated his thoughts, a very nervous serving girl stood in the shadows of a dark throne room; if you could even cause her a serving girl. She wore rags that weren't even ones you'd find on a vagrant, and she was attempting to make herself as small as possible. However her attempts proved futile, for a very angry man on his throne suddenly barked:<p>

"Girl!"

Said girl jumped violently before she squeaked,

"Y-yes s-s-sire?" He snapped his fingers and pointed to a goblet that was next to him. The girl scurried forward and shakily filled the goblet with water from the jug she was carrying. Once it was full, she bowed and backed away slowly; grateful that she didn't get smacked. Alined drained the goblet and sighed.

"Trickler," he said, "have you heard any word from my men as to the whereabouts of those boys?"

Trickler, Alined's jester, was the only one in the room who didn't appear nervous; he shook his head.

"I'm afraid not sire," Trickler answered, "the knights said that the trail ended not very far from the Lower Towns, but they believe they headed to the southeast."

"I see." Alined said. What was he to do? That boy was sure to squeal on him at some point.

"Sire," Trickler said, "if I may, you might have nothing to worry about. When the boy came here he didn't even remember you, and sire, you were very…_persuasive _with the boy."

Alined thought about what Trickler said; though he was usually an annoying and bumbling idiot, he made a good point. The boy had practically wet himself that…night; perhaps he did in fact have nothing to worry about.

Still, he needed to be entirely sure, and who didn't love a little bit of intimidation? Finally, he smiled evilly.

"Trickler," he said. Trickler looked at him, "I think it's time we pay a visit to Camelot."

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><p><strong>Whew! Another chapter in! I hope you didn't find Merlin too OOC; I felt like he seemed a tad off at times. <strong>

**Yes! Merlin spoke! But what's King Alined got to with all this? And for the love of Camelot **_**what did Merlin see? **_**Will he speak again?**

**Stay tuned to find out. ;)**

**Again, thank you so much for all your love and reviews!**

**I love you guys! See you soon!**


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